KAYLE
Tonight, a candle lights the room
Tonight, its only me and you
Your skin like gravity
Is pulling every part of me
I fall, you and I collide
And what if I stay forever
What if there's no goodbye
Frozen for a moment here in time, yeah
If you tell me the sky is falling
We'll see that the stars collide
The only thing that matters in my life
Is you and I tonight
I can't help but smile to myself.
I always wanted to hear him sing, and he rarely does. But here he is now, serenading me in front of all these strangers.
Our eyes close, the candle burns away
But I know the fire still remains
This love is all we need
We fit together perfectly
I fall, you and I collide
I sang with him. This is a good song, You and I Tonight by Faber Drive.
And what if I stay forever
What if there's no goodbye
Frozen for a moment here in time, yeah
If you tell me the sky is falling
I'll see that the stars collide
The only thing that matters in my life
Is you and I tonight
All this time, he never removed his gaze on me, smiling like an idiot.
I playfully rolled my eyes and laughed.
I wanna see this through
I'm gonna give it all to you
Tonight a candle lights the room
Tonight it's only me and you
He leaped from the platform they're at and slowly made his way towards my direction.
My cheeks suddenly heated up.
"Hoy tigilan mo ko," banta ko sa kaniya.
He just shook his head and continued singing.
No matter what I say, I know he can't hear me over the wild crowd.
He held my hand and walked me over the stage.
And what if I stay forever
What if there's no goodbye
Frozen for a moment here in time, yeah
If you tell me the sky is falling
We'll see that the stars collide
The only thing that matters in my life
Is you and I tonight (Tell me to stay forever)
Just you and I tonight (Tell me to stay forever)
I can't stop smiling, looking at his eyes.
I didn't care if everyone looks at us, I just want to treasure this moment with him.
"Just you and I tonight," he said, it's like he's telling me every word.
I nod. "You and I tonight, Cal."
We both smiled and faced everyone.
"Thank you!" he said, throwing his hands in the air.
The spotlight went off as the band prepared for another song.
He turned to them and said, "Thanks bud."
They just smiled and nod, "Proposal ba 'yun?"
Tumawa si Cal. "Kung pwede," he said and smiled sheepishly at me.
Binatukan ko. "Whatever."
"Aww, LQ agad?" tanong ng isa.
Tumawa naman sila.
"No, really, thanks," Cal said.
They laughed. "Sure bro."
Pansin ko, masaya silang kasama. They have this aura that you won't feel out of place when you're with them.
"Ang ganda niya ah," sabi ng isang makulit na kasama nila, siya 'yung asar nang asar kanina.
I laughed when I saw Cal frowned. "Pagpasensiyahan niyo na 'to." I saw them laughed even harder.
"Nagbibiro lang noh! May girlfriend kaming lahat."
Cal then laughed. "Kidding. Sige, una na kami."
If I know, nagselos na naman ata.
Tumango sila. "Goodluck to the both of you, bud."
"Thanks," he said and waved.
When we got out, I saw our parents outside.
"Mom?! Dad?!"
"Good job, son," tito said.
"Huh?"
"He planned this, sweetie," mom said.
I looked at Cal. "Really? But akala ko sumingit ka lang agad dun sa banda?"
He laughed. "You think pwede 'yun? Come on baby doll, didn't you even wonder why I got along with them easily? It's because I already had contact with them."
Oo nga noh? And maybe that's also the reason why he sounded busy a while back at our room.
Our family decided to take dinner first--our parents aren't really tired and sleepy, pinagkaisahan lang nila ako para magawa ni Cal ang plano niya.
Pagbalik sa hotel, I immediately changed clothes and slumped myself in my bed.
"I'm so tired, Cal," I said in a drowsy voice.
"Sleep now baby."
I looked at him, and immediately regret it.
He's topless again, and only wearing boxers.
He laughed.
"I didn't see anything!" I said, turning my back on him.
"You wish so," he teased.
"Caaal!" I shouted. I immediately felt my energy back again by his unbearable pesters.
He laughed. "Turn around now, I'm covered up, nothing for you to pervert about."
I turned and shouted, "I'm not a pervert!"
He just laughed.
I finally found myself at peace when he opened the tv and shut up.
After a while, I nearly slept when I remembered something.
"Cal?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you do the thing earlier?"
"What thing?"
"The serenade at the cafe."
"Because I want to make you happy."
I smiled, "It did."
"Then I'm happy too."
I laughed. "Seriously?"
"Yeah," he smiled.
"Okay goodnight Cal."
"Goodnight baby doll."
I closed my eyes, and after a while I felt him turning off the program and the lights.
I pretended to be asleep when he walked towards my bed.
I feel he leaned over me and kissed my forehead. "My princess." Then he walked to his bed and slept.
I smiled. Probably one of the best nights I've had.
***
The following days in Cebu went pretty well.
We leave the hotel room together with our parents but then immediately find ourself away from their sight.
"Mom texted me," Cal said.
"What does she says?" I asked, eating up the ice cream he bought.
He let me read his phone.
Mom:
Wer r u? Well werever u r, b safe wit kayle ok? see u l8er
Yep, our parents didn't really care where are we whenever we lose their sight, they said we're old enough to manage ourselves.
I see Cal frowned.
"What?" I asked.
"I always get confused about how mom texts," he said, pouting.
I laughed. "She's your mom, idiot!"
"I know but her texts are unbearable."
"Well at least in person, she's not unbearable. Like her son," I wickedly smiled.
He smirks. "Really?"
I ran as he tried to mess me up with ice cream.
"Come here little brat!" he chased after me.
I screeched and ran over the park. "Don't you dare!"
But his steps are bigger so he got me.
I squeaked as he carries me and tickled my stomach.
"Cal! Put me down!" I said, between my laughter.
"Oh no, I'm unbearable right?"
"Cal!" I continued screaming.
He stepped on a rock and we both fell down, worse is we were still holding our ice cream, so it sticked over us.
"Eew!" I said, laughing.
"Look at you!" he said, pointing my face.
Hinawakan ko ang mukha ko, and felt ice cream on my nose.
"Oh really!" I laughed and pointed at him too, there ice cream all over his forehead.
He suddenly grabbed me and hugged me tight.
"You naughty little girl," he said, whispering in my ears. He's so close I can even feel his breath on my nape. It tickles me down to my spine.
Just in time, heavy rain poured down, washing away all the ice cream messed up on us.
When the rain calmed down, we decided to go back to the hotel room, soaked.
***
Our last night on Cebu? Cal and I decided to visit Cebu's Ayala Center, we ate and shopped all this time.
Our parents are off somewhere though, gagala daw muna sila. They told us they're aging in taking care of us all this time--which made us laugh so hard.
So here I am right now with Cal, eating and trying different foods.
We then decided to go to the rooftop.
Only a few people are here, some are couples and mostly group of teens.
Cal and I spotted a place higher than the floor we are now, we climbed over the stairs and we found ourselves in a more elevated place than the rooftop itself.
It is peaceful here, only the cold breeze is felt.
"So, this is our last day here," Cal said.
I nod. "Yup, tomorrow will be back to normal."
"It's a week, yeah? Masaya ka ba?"
"Are you kidding me?! Of course! Cebu is a wonderful place, and it's where a lot of wonderful things happened to me," I said, smiling.
I hoped he got what I meant.
I mean, ang daming nangyari sa amin dito. Which made us closer and stronger even.
I think he did when he smiled, "Yeah."
I sat on the window part of the place, and looked over the place.
"It's beautiful," I said, awed in the view. The whole city is seen over here, and the city lights are just beautiful.
"Yeah, she is beautiful," Cal said.
I didn't notice him sitting beside me over the window, and he's looking at me while saying those.
"Huh?" I asked.
The wind blew, which made my hair cover my face.
He tucked it behind my ear and spoke, "You're beautiful, baby doll."
I smiled. "Thanks, Cal."
"Baby?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember the time way back at the leadership summit?"
"Alin dun?"
"The time when I was about to say something but Logan burst out of the bathroom because of the cockroach?"
I tried to remember it, a lot of things passed after that. It's really hard to recall.
After a few minutes, I finally picked it up.
"Ah! Yup, that one. Why?"
"I was about to ask you that time, that, what if I fall for you?" he said. "But then, I only had the chance to confess I'm falling for you last week," he laughed unsurely.
I smiled. "I don't know what to say, Cal, honestly." I'm stunned.
"Okay lang. But Kayle?" he called.
"Yes?"
"What if I completely fall for you? And wake up one day that I really love you?"
For a moment, I held my breath. I felt my heart stopped beating too.
I'm not ready for this.
But it's here now, anyway. It's now or never.
"I like you, Cal. I honestly do," I said. "Not in a friendly way, but more than that."
His eyes widened a bit. "Really?" he stutter.
I nod. "Yes," I bit my lip. "But I don't want to rush things okay?"
He nod. "Guess you're right. I'm still working on my memories too," he said and smiled.
I smiled back, "Okay then, bestfriend."
He pulled me for a hug and kissed my head.
We stayed like that for a while, and it felt just right.
Whatever Cal and I have right now, it's already enough for me. I'm not asking any more, nor any less. It's just, perfect for the time.
And when we thought everything's going fine, bad things started to happen.
A week after we got back from Cebu and things went normal again, that night I suddenly got a call from tita Carol.
I answered it right away, given the fact that Cal was absent the whole day.
"Tita?"
"Kayle," she started, her voice is shaking.
"Yes po? Anong nangyari?"
"Cal is... Cal is in the hospital right now," she said, almost breaking up.
My eyes widened. "What?! Tita, tita what happened?"
"He... he is in... he is in coma right now."
And that broke my world.
--